


The Man

by Johnl_urens



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Horror, Loneliness, Other, Slow Burn, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 03:47:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7558912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Johnl_urens/pseuds/Johnl_urens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>V Hizzle and the A B C are just a normal band. Then the man shows up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The torture

We don't notice him at first.The Man,we mean. But there he stands, in the corner, watching us practise. He watches us until it's time for us to show off whatever it is we're rehearsing this week, and then he dives in, a shadow in the background. He knows every move, every word to our songs. We never realise he is there until we watch the videos our families had taken, and there he is, in sync with us all, but still just a shadow.

Nobody tells him the address when we move, but he finds his way to where we are, both times. 

Aaron notices him lingering in the corner for the fifth time this week. We still don't know who this man is, but Aaron prays every night that he will leave us alone.

The Man is appearing more and more. George can't perform anymore without breaking down due to how terrifying he is.Please leave us alone, stranger. What did we ever do to deserve this?

Aaron can't meet fans anymore, not since that time he realised the last three people he had taken pictures with were actually just The Man in disguises.He's stuck, can barely get to set each day. He lives in fear that one day he will look at his camera man and will see The Man staring back. 

Aaron's having nightmares now. He's on set but his stylist is The Man and his cameraman is The Man and the makeup artist is The Man and the director is The Man and his costar is The Man and he's The Man and he wakes up screaming and he can't take this anymore. Who is he?

There's orange juice next to his bed when George was up. he reaches a hand out for it but the logo on the carton is The Man.When will this be over. Who decided he needed to be tortured like this?

George goes outside for a walk.He sees a woman walking her dog. He approaches the dog but as soon as they come face to face, the dog starts talking.  
"I'm watching. Always watching". Its The Man. The woman's face slowly morphs into The Mans. He runs to the local store but the cashier is The Man, the customer is The Man. he calls 911 for an ambulance. The Man picks up the phone.When will he ever find a way out.

Aaron spots him in the crowd. It's been a week, the longest time in what feels like forever and he thought he was free.He was wrong. He's never free. He's had enough, can't live with this fear, not alone. He turns to Rory, who is still singing his half of the duet. He tells Rory, tells him everything. Rory is horrified. Who is this man? Why is he here? Will he ever leave? They both turn to Lin-Manuel, who is already staring at them from the other side of the stagedoor. Lin knows.  
"Turn it off", Rory says. Aaron has never related to anything more. Please God, stop this. He's never believed in a deity before but if it saves him from this hell, he's prepared to believe.

Aaron is walking home. He hears a rustling. He breaks down, crumbles to the floor and sobs. He sees a shadow and knows. Its The Man. He can't live like this anymore. But he must.


	2. The Truth(?)

The Man was never accepted. Not in school, not in his job, not by the people he was essentially stalking now. His life was a mess.

he hadn't meant for it to get this bad, he promises. He just wanted friends, he thought they liked him, loved him even. He felt accepted

and then one day he looked at them, properly, and saw the look of genuine terror that riddled their features and he knew he wasn't welcome. But he was addicted to being with them at that point. He couldn't help it. 

He took a deep breath and walked to the store. Cabbage always made him feel better.

~

George just wants to get groceries.

He reaches for the broccoli, the last item on his list, then he's out of here.

But at the same time, another hand brushes his. It's The Man. He can tell.

But in the moment, he doesn't feel fear. His hood is down. The Man is as vulnerable to the world as George is. They look into each others eyes and realise they aren't so different.

And The Man starts crying, full on sobbing while he clutches a cabbage to his chest on the Asda floor.  
"i just wanted to feel loved", he chokes out, "I'm sorry".

  
And then George realises he misjudged The Man all along. He was lonely. He just wanted a friend.  
Granted, he drove Aaron half to insanity, but he just desperately needed safety and comfort, and a purpose.

George helps the man up, drives him home. Gives him a blanket and offers him a cup of tea. George can't help himself from blurting out the inevitable question.  
"What IS your name? I mean, if it's truly important to you, you don't have to say but-"

George cuts himself off. He doesn't know what to say.

He looks at him, and The Man looks hesitant, shame riddling his features. George is sure he's fucked everything up and he'll never see the man again and this person will go through their whole life feeling nothing but pain and it's all George's fault for being too forward and pushy when he could have been gently and caring and helpful.  
"My name... is Marius Pontmercy"  
"And mines Cosette-Wait, shit no"


End file.
